Albert Pujols, Tony La Russa. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Tony La Russa is glad Albert Pujols gets to finish his MLB career with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Even though he is currently the manager of the Chicago White Sox, skipper Tony La Russa is over the moon that one of his greatest players ever gets to finish his MLB career where it started, as Albert Pujols is playing one final season with the St. Louis Cardinals!
Pujols spent the first half of his baseball career playing for La Russa in St. Louis. They won a pair of World Series together, first in 2006 and then again five years later in 2011. La Russa would retire from the managerial profession after beating the Texas Rangers in the Fall Classic. Pujols left the Cardinals for a massive 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. So much has changed…
While La Russa has his own World Series-contending team to manage on the South Side, he is simply “ecstatic” that Pujols gets to finish his career with the Redbirds.
Tony La Russa “ecstatic” Albert Pujols gets to finish his career with the Cardinals
Pujols returns to St. Louis after spending the last decade in Los Angeles. One big factor that will allow him to finish his playing career with the team he is best known playing for is the DH being universal. At 42 years old, it is hard to imagine Pujols playing in the field every day going forward. Plus, he can retire playing alongside his best friend in Cardinals’ beloved backstop Yadier Molina.
There may be plenty of old dogs on this year’s Redbirds roster, but they are led by their corner infielders still very much in their prime in third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. St. Louis was a Wild Card team a season ago after having caught fire down the stretch. They are the biggest threat to overtake the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central race.
As far as how far can the Cardinals fly this year, they would be lucky to get to the NLCS with the last two World Series champions playing in the National League in a pair of former NL West rivals: Pujols’ former team in the Los Angeles Dodgers and the reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves. It may be tough sledding, but St. Louis has won more titles than any NL team in history.
If the Cardinals win it all, Pujols and Molina can ride off into the sunset as three-time champions.